The night loomed thick with the weight of secrets, its silence stretching like a shroud over Ashveil Academy. Torches sputtered along the stone walls, their flames dancing in restless flickers as if sensing the tension in the air. The sky was a swirl of obsidian and ash, stars veiled behind the creeping mists that curled like fingers around the towers.
Otoku stood at the edge of the Courtyard of Echoes, his silver eyes tracing the rippling runes etched into the stone beneath his feet. Each mark hummed with latent energy, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. He could feel the Codex strapped to his side, its presence like a whisper in his mind, guiding his thoughts toward the void's embrace.
Arthelia approached from the shadows, her blindfold secured tightly over her eyes, yet her steps were precise. "You feel it too, don't you?" she asked, her voice low, almost a murmur against the silence.
Otoku's gaze didn't waver from the runes. "The Veil is thinning. Whatever lies beyond…it's reaching through."
Her hand brushed the stone, pale fingers tracing the sigils that coiled like serpents. "The Echoes are restless. It's as if something is clawing its way back."
"Noctis?" Otoku called, his voice firm.
A ripple of shadow manifested at his side, coalescing into the familiar form of Noctis, eyes gleaming with a sharp, predatory light. "I sense it too," the shadow wolf growled, claws scraping the cobbled stone. "The wards are fraying, threads unraveling. If it breaks through…"
"It won't." Otoku's tone held iron. His hand brushed the Codex, feeling its hum match his own pulse. "We'll seal it, whatever it is."
Arthelia stepped closer, her blindfolded gaze turning toward the distant spires where lights flickered restlessly. "You speak of sealing…but this is unlike the Rift. This is older."
Otoku paused, the weight of her words settling like frost on his skin. "Older than the Rift?"
"Before the Loop," she whispered, her hand falling from the stone. "Before the echoes even knew their names."
Noctis growled low, fur bristling. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Otoku replied, his hand tightening around the Codex. "But it seems fate doesn't care for our comfort."
A chill wind swept through the courtyard, stirring the dust and rattling the chains that hung from the archways. For a moment, Otoku thought he heard whispers—soft, delicate, like threads of silk brushing his mind.
Arthelia straightened, her blindfold turning toward him. "We should prepare."
Otoku nodded. "I'll gather the Vanguard. We meet at the Nexus Gate by dawn."
As she turned to leave, Otoku's hand lingered on the Codex. The whispers grew louder, curling around his thoughts, slipping through the cracks of his mind. He exhaled slowly, steeling himself.
The Veil was thinning. And something ancient waited on the other side.
But Otoku would be ready.
To be continued...